How Google Maps Became a Last Resort for Russians Looking for Missing Soldiers Around a million Russian soldiers have been killed or wounded since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began, four years ago. Family members, who often aren’t informed of their loved ones’ fates, have been relying on a digital place of last resort. In southwest Russia, where the border with eastern Ukraine snakes down to the Sea of Azov, lies the city of Rostov-on-Don, which serves as the headquarters of Russia’s Southern Military District. For almost twelve years, the city has operated as a logistics hub for Russia’s military operations in Ukraine, which began with the annexation of Crimea, in early 2014, and expanded with Russia’s full-scale invasion of the country, in 2022. Since then, around a million Russian soldiers have been killed or wounded. Rostov, home to Russia’s only dedicated facility for processing and identifying bodies, has become the main point of arrival for the dead. But the fa...
